vexillum
Americannoun
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vexilla
plural
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a military standard or flag carried by ancient Roman troops.
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a group of men serving under such a standard.
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video frequency.
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Botany. Also vexil the large upper petal of a papilionaceous flower.
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Ornithology Rare. the web or vane of a feather.
noun
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ornithol the vane of a feather
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botany another name for standard
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of vexillum
1720–30; < Latin: standard, flag, diminutive from the base of vēlum sail ( see veil)
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The founder and chief prophet of vexillology, Political Scientist Whitney Smith, coined the word from the Latin vexillum, or military standard.
From Time Magazine Archive
The difference in the size of the cells on the calyx under the vexillum right down to the common peduncle is conspicuous.
From More Letters of Charles Darwin — Volume 2 by Sir Francis Darwin
As he stepped upon the bridge, the trumpets sounded, and over the aplustre rose the vexillum purpureum, or pennant of a commander of a fleet.
From Ben-Hur; a tale of the Christ by Lewis Wallace
The labarum, like the vexillum, had sometimes fringes with tassels or ribbons.
From Flags: Some Account of their History and Uses. by Andrew Macgeorge
In the Roman army the eagle, the vexillum, &c. had all the moral and sentimental importance of the colours of to-day.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various
Examples of these vexilla are to be seen on various Roman coins and medals, on the sculptured columns of Trajan and Antoninus, and on the arch of Titus.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 4 "Finland" to "Fleury, Andre" by Various
Then a trumpet-call, a flash of blue vexilla and silver eagles in the air, and, a moment later, some eighty hoofs were drumming in the Appian Way.
From Vergilius A Tale of the Coming of Christ by Irving Bacheller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
